


Bridging Distance

by isuilde



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon-Compliant, Established Relationship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Makoto's Birthday Exchange 2014, Maybe - Freeform, basically dumb boys with brats and that's it, coaching shenanigans, i hope this still fulfills the request orz, in which everyone are best friends so FIRST NAME BASIS yes even with Sousuke, rather than describing them whenever I refer to them, the OCs end up having names even though they're so minor because it's easier to give them names, this went completely out of hands tho i'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:10:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2569319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isuilde/pseuds/isuilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long-distance relationship is tricky. Makoto thinks he's got it figured out, even if the fact that he might not be able to see Rin until Christmas upsets him a little. He has the kids' upcoming swimming competition to deal with, after all.</p><p>(in which Sousuke and Haru are exasperated, Aki takes matters into her own hands, Makoto is being stupid, and Rin proves him wrong by bringing half of the National Team over to the swimming club.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bridging Distance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Halcyon_Morpho_Menelaus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halcyon_Morpho_Menelaus/gifts).



> Written for Halcyon_Morpho_Menelaus. I'm sorry you're stuck with me again this year, wwww. I hope this would do your extremely cute prompt justice!
> 
> The prompt is this: "Makoto is a college student living in Tokyo and has an established sorta-long-distance relationship with Rin who's training as a professional swimmer. Makoto finds another part time job teaching little kids how to swim and one day Rin makes a surprise visit to the class and offers to help out teaching. After a fun, cute class experience the pair take a long train ride to Makoto's home. They hold hands, snuggle and sneak kisses on the train until they get home."
> 
> So, me being me, I guess, I managed to somehow blew it up to 10k++ words, I'm really sorry. ;A; Thank you [sailingskies](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sailingskies/pseuds/sailingskies) for dealing with my shitty writing and saving my life wwww ilu Tai-chan

There’s a splash in the direction of the pool, followed by an angry shriek and a loud wail.

Makoto snaps out of his daze—really, it’s only five in the afternoon, and his thoughts are already scattered. He jumps to his feet, nearly stumbles on a float lying nearby as he half-sprints towards the pool. The wail has dissolved into a full-blown crying, the childish sort that always leaves Makoto worrying whether the one crying actually takes a breath at all. “Hey,” he says, pitching his voice loud enough to pierce through the commotion without sounding harsh. “What’s happening?”

The four kids standing on his way part, obediently giving him the space to go through, and Makoto steps on to the edge of the pool. He sighs at the sight before him—now increasingly familiar—of the six-year-old Sakuya, wailing and sobbing as she clutches on her older sister Maaya, who is eleven years-old, and is currently engaged in a screaming match with another eleven-year-old boy, Takuma.

“Quit picking on my sister!”

“I wasn’t picking on her, she was just suddenly there when I dived!”

“She’s been there for the last fifteen minutes!”

“Not my fault that she’s too small for me to see from the starting block!”

The other kids shift, restless and clearly starting to pick sides—the girls gravitating to Maaya’s side while the boys towards Takuma, and Makoto knows he’s going to have to dissolve the tension very soon, or this would end up in another girls-versus-boys prank war. The last one lasts a full month, and even now Makoto could still find gross, sticky traces of gums under the benches and on locker doors.

He’s also not looking forward to deal with scrubbing paint off his stuff after a failed prank. Again.

“Alright,” he says, louder now that several of the kids have started to stand up for their friends. He moves, drops down into the water and wades towards Maaya, arms reaching out in invitation to Sakuya, who launches herself at Makoto and buries her face on his shoulder as he keeps her afloat. He pats her on the head comfortingly, gently shushing her as she muffles her cries into his full-body swim suit.

“So,” he turns to the two ten-years-old, giving them a disapproving frown. “What exactly happened?”

A round of chaotic “He started it!” and “No she started it!” and “Totally your fault!” breaks among the kids, and Makoto once again sighs, torn between amusement and exasperation, and silently resigns himself for a long afternoon.

**\-----o0o-----**

Makoto fixes Takuma a stern look. The kid squirms, before giving up and visibly deflating.

“I was trying to get her to talk to me,” he mutters begrudgingly, one hand scratching the back of his head. “I didn’t plan to splash Sakuya so much when I dived. Didn’t think she’d cry.”

Makoto shakes his head. “And you think bothering Sakuya-chan would get you in Maaya’s good books?”

Takuma scowls. “She keeps ignoring me, Coach! It’s annoying—did you know I helped find her bike keys yesterday? She didn’t even say thank you! She thought I hid them!”

“Well,” Makoto says, lowers himself on the bench and gestures Takuma to join him. He’d let the girls out and back to the pool first, so Takuma shouldn’t be too flustered to talk now. “Would it be so strange for her to assume so, considering that you’ve hidden her bike keys twice before?”

Takuma pouts. “That’s—“ he begins, lamely, and his face falls. “That’s. Different.”

“You know it’s not,” Makoto hums, pulling him closer in reassurance. “Being mean to someone isn’t the right way to show them that you like them, Takuma-kun.”

“I don’t like Maaya,” Takuma protests half-heartedly, making a face even as his cheeks turn red. “I just—kind of. Want her to look at me sometimes. And be friends.”

Makoto chuckles, ruffles Takuma’s hair, and lowers his voice like he’s telling him the best secret of the universe. Kids are a handful, one contradiction after another, and being a coach of twenty-three kids between six to thirteen years old is more of a challenge than fun most days, but it’s times like these that Makoto enjoys the most. To be given a glimpse of what these kids keep from everyone else, even without understanding why.

“You know, Takuma-kun,” he begins, secretively. “I have a friend who always, always teases the person he likes the most—“

**\------o0o------**

“You told him about Nagisa and Rei,” Rin’s voice, tinny and crackling at the edges, comes through the phone, sounding endlessly amused. “Makoto, you realize you just compared Nagisa to a ten-year-old because they bug people endlessly when they want attention.”

“They bug certain people they like in order to get their attention,” Makoto corrects lightly, his free hand absently stirring the pot of miso soup as he watches it bubble up excitedly. Most of his own attention is caught by Rin’s laugh, though, crossing the distance between Okinawa and Tokyo through the phone call. “Takuma is nothing like Nagisa, though—I mean Nagisa hasn’t made anyone cried. Except that one time when—“ the microwave dinged loudly. “—give me one second.”

He puts the phone on speaker and leaves it on the safest part of the kitchen counter: next to the stacks of unopened mails and today’s newspaper, before making his way towards the microwave. Tonight’s dinner is just a simple fish and miso soup with some boiled vegetables—it’s easier to just microwave leftovers than having to cook when he’s already tired from coaching the kids.

“Are you making dinner?” Rin’s voice echoes, breaking even more now that it’s coming loud through the phone speaker. There are vague background noises, too, and Makoto recognizes Haruka’s voice droning somewhere behind Rin’s even though he can’t catch what his best friend is saying. Rin, though, seems to be listening, because he pauses, and then he speaks again. “Haru says Yazaki-san is on her way to our place with dinner, so don’t bother cooking.”

Makoto groans. “I can cook without setting the kitchen on fire or accidentally poisoning myself now, you know—“

“Sousuke’s laughing at you,” Rin informs, with a hint of laughter in his voice, too. Makoto’s lips twitch up.

“Remind me again who ended up drinking spoilt milk the last time he crashed at our apartment,” Makoto responds, taking out the small plate with a piece of catfish on it. It’s a little burnt, and he stares wistfully at it for a moment before silently thanking the heavens that Aki is coming with dinner.

“Fair point there—you heard him, Sousuke, stop laughing.” There’s some louder noises then, some sort of ruckuss, and then Rin yelps. “Fuck—Sousuke, I swear to god, if you don’t get that away from me right now—Haru, how dare you—“

Makoto laughs despite not knowing what is happening on the other side of the phone. He imagines it’s something to do with roaches though, because it’s literally the only thing that would make Rin react like that. “I heard that, Tachibana,” Rin says, and he’d sound much more threatening if it isn’t for the slightly panicked tone underlining his voice. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Makoto hums lightly, turning to the stove and kills the fire. He picks the phone back, switches to handhold, and realizes that it’s quieter now on Rin’s side. He could pick out the sounds of the waves, too, crashing loudly on the shore. “Are you out?”

“Jumped out the window, I’m not sleeping in a room with—“ Rin falters, pausing, and his next words come out in a shout well away from the phone: “Sousuke, don’t overdo it with Haru, we have a match tomorrow!”

Makoto snickers. “You won’t be sleeping in your room tonight.”

“I think Sousuke has a pet roach so he can drive me out of the room whenever he needs to bang Haru,” Rin grumbles. “I mean, I don’t really mind, but there should be restrictions.” There’s a long inhale, followed by a frustrated sigh. “Goddammit.”

Makoto echoes the sentiment silently. “You’re not going to have time to drop by Tokyo before going back to Sydney?”

Rin is silent for a long moment, and Makoto knows the answer before it comes through the phone. “No,” the word is quiet and a little sad. “I’m sorry. Coach wanted me to adjust our training menu, so I have to get there earlier than I’d planned.”

“Okay,” Makoto tells him, even if he knows he sounds anything but okay. But there isn’t much he or Rin could do about it, and he’s learned to accept that for years. It isn’t the worst thing they’ve faced, even if this makes it the longest period in which he and Rin doesn’t see each other. “After, maybe?”

Something in his chest sinks when Rin gives a heavy sigh. He closes his eyes. “Really?”

“Christmas at the earliest,” Rin says, tone apologetic.

“That’d make what, almost a year? Since I last saw you.”

“I know,” and maybe it’s the guilt in Rin’s voice, or the obnoxiously selfish tone in Makoto’s own words, that makes Makoto wince and regretted his reaction. “I’ll try to come home on September? I could drop by Tokyo when I fly for the friendly swim meet in Spain—one night at most, but—“

“Don’t,” Makoto says, resigned. “You’ll tire yourself out.” And then, because he knows Rin would argue, knows that Rin would try his best to convince Makoto that it’s okay, and Makoto should be more selfish with Rin, he makes a noise at the back of his throat. “Oh, I think that’s Zaki-chan. I’ll talk to you later, okay, Rin?”

“Makoto—“

“I love you. Talk to you soon.”

He hangs up on Rin’s unspoken frustration, stares long at the phone, and groans.

**\-----o0o------**

Aki gives him a sympathetic smile when he tells her about it later over warm bowls of donburi, and pats him on the arm.

“Makoto-kun,” she says lightly. “You’re a great boyfriend, but I have to say that you’re being stupid.”

Makoto buries his face into his arms.

**\-----o0o------**

He nearly knocks Saya into the pool the next day.

The fifteen year-old girl—one of his long time students who likes to drop by the club and help him with the kids—flails a little before managing to regain her balance. “Coach Tachibana,” she grumbles. “Stop being so distracted.”

Makoto gives her a sheepish look. “Ah, sorry, Saya-chan—“

The girl considers him for a moment curiously. “You’re completely out of it today. Is something wrong?”

“No,” Makoto says, and thinks the opposite. “Would you be all right with helping time the younger kids? I have to work on the relay team’s diving forms.”

**\------o0o------**

“Makoto-kun,” Aki whispers awkwardly under her breath, in the middle of the class, as the professor in the front drones on and on about the newest research in child psychology. “I think you should calm down.”

Makoto snaps out of his daydream—of remembering Rin sprawled out under him, skin flushing, fevered eyes looking up into Makoto’s own as the tip of his tongue flicks out to lick the corner of his lips—and makes a dumb, questioning, “huh?”

Aki smiles her sunflower smile and gestures towards his lap. “I don’t think you could walk out of the class later with that.”

It takes everything in Makoto not to splutter out loud and cutting the professor’s lecture. Instead, he flushes beet red as he closes his legs and hastily puts his bag to cover his lap, casting a grateful look at Aki before slumping on the desk and lets out a silent groan.

Next to him, Aki chuckles and surreptitiously takes a picture of him with her phone.

**\------o0o------**

**Matsuoka Rin – 18.48**  
 _So, Yazaki-san sent me something interesting._

**Me – 18.49**  
 _Please don’t show it to Haru or Sousuke-kun **.**_

**Matsuoka Rin – 18.49**  
 _Hell no. I’m still miffed Yazaki-san gets to see it. Don’t look so edible in front of other people, Makoto._

**Me – typing**  
 _Not edible enough to force you to come ho_

Makoto pauses, stares at the line he’s typing, and decides it’s not worth it as he deletes the line. They’ve worked on this relationship for the last three years, after Rin’s confession on the day they graduated high school. He’d learned to match their schedules, learned to deal with time differences between Tokyo and Sydney, learned to deal with sexual frustrations in various ways when he can’t see Rin for a long period of time. Having a long-distance relationship isn’t easy, especially when it comes to communication and making plans to see each other, but that’s something both he and Rin are aware of from the very beginning.

He wonders why the knowledge that he won’t see Rin until at least Christmas (and god, it’s only almost May right now) makes it even more vexing.

**Me – 18.53**  
 _Call you tonight? Will you be alone?_

**Matsuoka Rin – 18.53**  
 _Fuck, yes._

**\------o0o------**

He chokes out Rin’s name into the darkness of his room, hips jerking in a dry thrust before the world whites out and he spills into his own hand.

In his ear, Rin lets out a strangled, long groan that sounds like Makoto’s name. Makoto listens, still trying to catch his breath as his hand drifts lower, touching the edge of the vibrator before pulling it out and turning it off. Rin’s breaths echo through the phone, sounding both exhausted and content, and Makoto snuggles deeper into his blankets, tries not to think that Rin is miles and miles away in Okinawa and his bed is empty save for himself.

“Makoto?” Rin calls, voice hoarse. “Okay?”

Makoto hums sleepily. “Better if you’re here,” he mumbles, too sleepy to think, only registers the words on the next second when Rin takes a beat too long to reply. He kicks himself silently, and scrambles for words. “Rin—“

“It’s okay, I know,” Rin sounds sheepish. “Not your fault.”

“Still doesn’t make it okay,” Makoto insists, rousing himself enough to sit up on bed. “I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry.”

Rin snorts humorlessly. “What did I say about you needing to be more selfish with me?”

Makoto opens his mouth, and closes it again. “That you’d be glad if I do,” he answers, quietly. It doesn’t make him feel less guilty, though, because he’s supposed to understand. He’s different from Rin—from both Haruka and Sousuke—he’s simply an ordinary young man who coaches kids, while Rin is a star in the making, an existence that sprints out to reach a dream impossible for too many. It should be enough for Makoto to watch the brilliance, and he shouldn’t ever stand on Rin’s way, even if Rin insists that he’d like to indulge Makoto from time to time. “Still, though. I’m not—it’s really okay, Rin.”

“You don’t lie as well as you used to, Makoto. Not with me.”

I’m not fooled, is what Makoto hears and Rin doesn’t say. He ducks his head, lets a small smile curves up on his lips. “Maybe because I don’t see the need to.”

“I’m glad,” Rin says, after a moment of silence. “I’d really rather that you be honest and upset with me.”

Makoto relaxes, pulls his blankets higher before lying back down on the bed. He closes his eyes, tries to pick out the noises of the ocean in the background amidst the sounds of Rin’s breath. He takes a beat, then another, before deciding that it’s time to skirt the issue completely and settles on: “How’s everything today?”

He could practically hear Rin’s exasperation in the sigh that reaches his ear, but maybe Rin understands his reluctance to discuss the topic, or maybe he knows that there’s nothing they could do about this, because the next moment, Rin is telling Makoto how his day went, what kind of sights he’d seen in the water, and how his and Haruka’s personal times differed by point-something-second. Makoto listens, laughs and comments in all the right places, letting Rin’s voice lull him into a sleepy haze.

He vaguely remembers telling Rin about the upcoming swim meet his kids are facing in two weeks, but he can’t be sure, because the next time he blinks, it’s morning already and he’s about to be very, very late to his first class.

**\-----o0o-----**

“—I’d pay attention to her entry form if I were you. …Makoto? Did you just snore at me?

“ ……okay, I should’ve known you’d fall asleep on me, how many times does this even make. Doesn’t matter. You’re probably tired, huh. Yazaki-san told me you’ve been having a lot of quizzes in class lately, on top of coaching the kids. I don’t know why you think it’s a good idea to stay up late to talk to me, but I guess I’ll stay in my selfish ways so long as you’re willing to give me that much. I just… wish you’d be the same. Get selfish, once in a while, if only with me.

“ I like knowing you’d make time to talk for me, you know? Even though you’re obviously tired. You know I’d do the same, right? I hope you do. I can’t tell what’s on your mind most of the times, it scares me. I wish you’d tell me more, about what you want. We’re together after all—

“—shit, Haru, when did you come in anyway? No, I wasn’t saying anything, shut up—“

 _Beep_.

**\-----o0o-----**

Makoto waves at the last kid making his way off the pool facility with a wide smile tinged with both relief and satisfaction for another day going off without a hitch, before stretching his arms, turning around and nearly stumbling into Yuugure Jun.

“Woah, Tachibana—“ his coworker—already in his late twenties, coming in only on Thursdays to Sundays, and almost as cheery as Nagisa—yelps, stepping back just in time to avoid Makoto’s elbow to the side of his head. “What did I do today to make you want to decapitate me?”

Makoto splutters. “What—no, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you coming at all, Yuugure-san!”

Yuugure blinks, amused. “I called out to you five times. Wow, you’re really out of it today.” He pats Makoto on the shoulder lightly. “Get it together, Coach, the kids are competing in four days, don’t let them see you so restless.”

Makoto sighs. “I know,” he says, something in his voice makes him sound like he’s whining, and that’s probably why Yuugure laughs. He swats at his colleague good-naturedly. “I just have a lot in my mind lately, it’s nothing.”

“Ooohh, what,” Makoto could swear that Yuugure’s eyes are glinting, the way Nagisa would when he’s interested in something. Or maybe he’s just projecting his old friend too much into his current friends. Maybe he’s homesick, or something. “The ever-smiling Tachibana Makoto admits that he has problems?”

Makoto stares, not quite sure if he should be amused or confused. “I—uhh? Of course I have problems, everyone does—“

Yuugure shrugs. “Yeah, but you’re the type to never admit that you have problems.” He steers Makoto down the hall, half pushing him towards the employee room where some of their coworkers are already lounging around. “I mean, you come in almost every day and coach the kids, always smiling like you have no problems with your, I don’t know, man, academic life? Family? Love life? By the way, I overheard Ritsuko planning to ask you out, just a heads-up.”

Makoto hides a smile, stopping just a few steps before the employee room. “I, ah, but I’m already seeing someone. I thought everyone knew that.”

“Yeah, your mystery lover that no one ever sees. I don’t think your suitors would back off just like that.” Yuugure pauses, and then winks at him. “Or your fanclub. I think someone mentioned that you have a fanclub, on your campus.”

“I really don’t,” Makoto protests, half-laughing, following Yuugure’s steps into the employee room. It’s rather empty—there’s Matsumura-san fast asleep on the couch and Hiragashi-san reading a novel with her ears plugged by earphones—so Makoto simply nods at Hiragashi when he passes her on the way to his locker, keeping up with Yuugure’s steps. “Yuugure-san, do you think the kids are ready for the competition?”

Yuugure hums. “They’re pretty great. We’ll have strong individual swimmers; I bet Takuma’s going to take home at least a silver. Maaya-chan and Emi-chan are going to take golds in backstroke and butterfly, but that’s to be expected. There’s also Shouko-chan in breaststroke, Youji and Ryou in freestyle—the relay teams, though…” he pauses, then makes a face. “They’re not in sync at all, are they?”

Makoto sighs. “We’ve been working on timing the exchange, but the boys team is still all over the place. The girls are slightly better, but Kaho-chan keeps jumping before Maaya touches the edge properly. Emi-chan keeps hesitating before she dives, too. I think they’re getting frustrated about it.”

Yuugure claps him solidly on the back. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just goes to show how serious they are about this race. It’s good, they’ll grow. The important thing is that they’re having fun swimming together, right?”

Makoto smiles, remembers rows of brick and the words I swim best free for the team, remembers the look on his teammates’ faces when they finished the relays back in high school, and feels a strong wave of nostalgia washes over him. He wishes he could show the kids how his team was back then; the way his heart had pounded as he yelled and urged everyone to go faster, to reach out and come back soon, and show them the glorious sights waiting beneath the terror lurking in the water.

If it’s Rin, he thinks, almost unbidden, because it had been Rin who set everything in motion for him, how would he handle this?

**\-----o0o-----**

“So,” Aki tells him over lunch the next day, two bright-colored bento boxes spread on the cafeteria table, and Makoto could feel so many of the male students glaring daggers at him for being the lucky person Aki willingly make lunch box for even though they aren’t going out. “I mentioned to Nanase-kun about the thing you told me the other day.”

Makoto blinks at her and her sunflower smile, and wants to sigh because for all her innocent looks and easy-going air, Yazaki Aki doesn’t really hesitate to take matters into her own hands when she thinks people are being exceedingly dumb. Which, as she had pointed out the last time they had dinner together in his apartment, is what Makoto is being right now. “What thing?”

“About you moping—“

“I’m not moping, Zaki-chan—“

“—because you think the earliest you could see Matsuoka-kun is Christmas, and you wouldn’t let him squeeze in a visit—“

“It’d just be one night, he’d be exhausted, and he has a race the next day—“

Aki gives him a look, her smile half-covered by the red scarf winding around her neck. “Anyway, I think you’ll hear from Nanase-kun very soon.”

Makoto hangs his head in resignation, resists the urge to childishly reply in a vain effort to deny Aki’s thoughts, and fishes out a tamagoyaki instead.

**\-----o0o-----**

“Makoto,” Haruka says, and Makoto stutters out a very surprised “Ha-Haru..?!” because it had been Rin’s name and number that flashed on the screen. It’s almost ten at night, and Makoto is on his way home from his last class, tired to the bone and thinking about both assignments and the kids’ relay teams.

“My phone’s out of credit,” Haruka says by way of explanation to the question Makoto doesn’t even say. “That aside—Makoto. Fix it.”

Makoto blinks. It’s a bit harder to read what Haruka means when they’re communicating over the phone, not to mention that they haven’t seen each other for two months since the National Team camp started. “Uh? Fix what?”

“The thing. With you and Rin.” Haruka pauses, and Makoto could picture him rolling his eyes. “Fix Rin.”

Makoto’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “What—did something happen to Rin?”

“No, he’s just been in a foul mood.” There’s fondness and worry lining Haruka’s words, though, and Makoto knows even with what Aki had told him, Haruka wouldn’t just call him if he thinks Makoto and Rin could handle things themselves. “Even after we all agreed—“

Haruka trails off, almost absently, and Makoto’s face scrunches up further. “Haru?”

“Hmm,” Haruka replies, sounding somewhat distracted. “Sorry. Nothing. But you need to fix Rin—“ and the there’s a scuffle, rustles of sheets, and then Sousuke’s voice comes through the phone. “It’s nothing serious, he’s just been glaring at Haru and me whenever we’re standing too close together.”

“It’s serious,” Makoto hears Haruka piping up on the background. “Give me the phone.”

Sousuke snorts. “Yeah, anyway, Makoto. Think of it as indulgence, why don’t you? Just let Rin do what he wants, it’s not like we could do anything about it when he’s decided on what he’s going to do.” More rustles, and then grunts that indicate some sort of small war going on over the phone, but then Haruka’s voice filters back in. “—sorry, I’m getting up, just a second.”

“Ah,” Makoto says, the knowing tone in his voice. So that’s why Sousuke is there. “It’s okay, Haru. I’m not too sure what you meant about fixing Rin, though—has he been—“

“Pretty bad? Not really.” Haruka says, with a hint of a sigh on the last syllable. “He just glares. Gets moody. But mostly he looks—sad.”

Something in Makoto’s chest lurches down to his stomach. “I…”

“Talk to him about it.”

Makoto opens his mouth, stares blankly at the streetlights lining down the last turn towards his apartment as his steps falter. He closes it again, lips thinning, before finally decides to settle on being honest. “I’m not… really sure what to say.”

“It’s Rin.” Haruka replies, the you’re-being-an-idiot tone clear in his voice. “You’ve been doing this long-distance thing for years, it’ll be fine.”

Easy to say, Makoto thinks, but doesn’t say aloud. Instead he smiles again, putting conviction into his voice, lightening his tone as he says, “Alright, let’s see what I can do.”

**\-----o0o-----**

Rin sounds a bit subdued, when Makoto calls him ten minutes after midnight.

“Did Haru tell you anything weird?”

“Just,” Makoto begins, wonders how he’s going to breach the topic at all when he’s already so tired, so sleepy. This is not at all a good time to discuss their relationship—Rin is probably twice as tired as he is. “Complaining about you glaring.”

Rin snorts. “He and Sousuke were sharing a bottle.”

Which is really not that uncommon amongst athletes, and Rin doesn’t usually mind sharing one with Haruka and Sousuke (and would always buy only one drink to share with Makoto whenever they go out anyway). Makoto chooses not to point it out. “Maybe it’s their revenge; they keep calling us idiot couple.”

“Well, yeah, now they’re turning into an idiot couple.” Rin makes soft snickers, probably because it’s midnight and he doesn’t want to wake Haruka, who sleeps on the top bunk, up. “By the way, what is this I heard from Haru about your kids’ relay teams?”

“Oh,” Makoto blinks, suddenly reminded of what he’d thought the other day, and that completely dashes the reason he originally calls Rin for from his mind. “Yeah, we’re having problems with everyone’s timing, I was wondering if I should ask you. We only have three days left, the kids are getting more frustrated, and I think Emi-chan is close to giving up—“

They discuss Makoto’s kids’ relay teams, reminisce about the sights they’d seen in the water back when they did the relay, tease each other about their high school days, and by the time Makoto falls asleep on Rin (again), he doesn’t even remember what he’d called Rin for.

Makoto wakes up to his phone completely dead, and mentally kicks himself.

**\-----o0o-----**

Emi surfaces three seconds after she dives, trembling in the middle of pool, and Makoto jumps in without a second thought.

“Emi-chan,” he says, reaching out for her shaking shoulder, and is not surprised to see her tearing up, sniffling ar her lips tremble. “Hey, Emi-chan? It’s alright, let’s try that again, okay? It wasn’t that bad—“

“But it was that bad,” she whispers, eyes squeezing shut like she doesn’t want to see Makoto. “Coach—my entry was that bad, and Maaya-chan and Shouko-chan were doing so good, too. They’d be so mad at me, I messed it up, I’ll mess it up at the race, too—“

Makoto lowers himself until he’s reaching Shouko’s height. “Hey,” he starts, but he hasn’t the chance to get another word in when a frustrated shout resounds from the other side of the pool, followed by an angry slap of skin meeting the water, startling both him and Emi. Makoto sneaks a look past Emi’s shoulder, catches Hikaru slapping the water angrily with his left hand, looking frustrated as not far from him, Youji surfaces, looking both guilty and exasperated.

“Tap the wall, Hikaru—“

“I know, I just have a habit of stopping before I tap the wall, I know—you know that too, why didn’t you wait until I tap the wall before diving in anyway?“

“What, it’s my fault now?”

“Guys!” Yuugure’s voice rings out from the corner of the pool. “No fighting in the water, you know the rules, get out and continue when you’re not in the pool—“

Makoto sighs, turning to the girls team, who are all sporting wistful, doubtful looks, before turning back to Emi and pats her gently on the head.

So much to work on, and they only have two days left.

**\-----o0o-----**

**Matsuoka Rin – 09.00**  
 _You’re coaching today?_

**Me – 09.15**  
 _Sorry, I was running. Yeah, tomorrow’s the last day before the race, so. Why?_

**Matsuoka Rin – 09.17**  
 _Nothing, I was just wondering if I could talk to you earlier than usual. It’s fine, I’ll talk to you later._

**Me – 09.17**  
 _Is something wrong?_

**Matsuoka Rin – 09.18**  
 _Nah, not at all. See you._

**Me – 09.24**  
 _I was late for class because I replied to you. Take responsibility._

**Matsuoka Rin – 09.25**  
 _*snickers*_

**\-----o0o-----**

Maybe if he hadn’t been frantically running to class when Rin texted him, Makoto would have noticed the unusual “see you”.

As it is, though, he doesn’t notice at all.

**\-----o0o-----**

“Tachibana-kun,” Shijima Ritsuko sidles up next to him when Makoto stuffs his things into his locker in the employee room. She peers up at him from under her eyelashes, looking hesitant and slightly shy, and Makoto feels bad for having to reject her offer, already. She’s been a very good friend. “Are you free after work tonight?”

“Ah,” Makoto smiles apologetically. “I actually have an appointment.”

Her eyes fall, but she lightens up quickly, a smile forcing its way on her lips. “Oh. The so-called secret lover?”

Makoto laughs. “It’s not secret,” he replies, closing his locker in one smooth movement. “I think everyone knows about them.”

“No one’s ever seen them, either,” she points out, hesitates for a second, and plows through. “They won’t mind if you’re late to the call because you go out with a friend, right?”

Makoto looks at her, takes in the nervous twitch of her lips and the way her fingers twist, before giving her a soft smile. “They won’t, but I guess,” he laughs sheepishly. “I guess I’m the one who doesn’t want to miss the call. I’m sorry, Shijima-san.”

She stares at him, for a second looking like she’s searching for something in his expression, but then her smile softens and Makoto could pinpoint the exact second she gives up. “I see,” she says, smile too bright, but her voice is steady. “Thanks though, Tachibana-kun. I’m just here to—drop some stuff, so I’m not coaching today. Good luck with the relay teams.”

Makoto nods, chooses not to point out that she’s already in her coaching attire. “Take care on your way, Shijima-san.”

She leaves, shoulders and back straight, and Makoto takes a second to admire her bravery. He thinks about how he lacks such courage, too, both back in high school and now, both when it comes to swimming and Rin, and his lips curve into a small, wistful smile.

Ah, well. The kids are waiting.

**\-----o0o-----**

There’s a huge ruckus in the pool facility when Makoto nears the door. He pauses, tries to decipher whether it’s just the usual rowdines when the kids are too excited or too worked up, or if it was another fight that has escalated into a full-blown war between the boys and the girls. He could hear excited yells, though, and some awestruck-sounding gasps, so he decides it’s nothing bad.

He pushes on the door and steps in, and instantly freezes.

“Ah,” Hiragashi exclaims, from where she stands on one corner of the pool, a stopwatch and a board in her hands, clearly timing the people in the pool. “Tachibana-kun! You’re late!”

At her announcement, it seems like the whole facility halts for a moment. Makoto stares and stares, rooted to the floor as he blinks in disbelief—once, twice—gaze rapidly taking in the people around him, the kids that brighten at the sight of him. No way, he thinks, half-hysterically, because the National Team should all be in Okinawa, and there’s no way that these are at least half of the National Team, still in their jerseys, scattered all over the facility like it’s a daily occurrence. There’s no way that it’s Haruka who’s just surfaced from the pool, waving lightly over at him. There’s no way that it’s Sousuke who lounges on the bench with several kids, discussing their individual times with a board in his hand. There’s no way that’s Mikoshiba on the second line in the pool, grinning at Makoto as he runs his hand through wild, wet red hair.

There’s no way that it’s Rin, who just vaulted over a starting block and makes a beeline towards Makoto, mischievous red eyes gleaming as he beams brightly, steps light and fast, and his arms are suddenly thrown around Makoto’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug, squeezing once, causing Makoto to react instinctively and return the friendly hug.

Rin lingers for a second too long in his arms before pulling away, sharp teeth flashing in satisfaction. “Surprise,” he grins, the way he does back in elementary school when their team was finally formed, all excited and full of anticipation. It takes Makoto’s breath away for a second as his heartbeat stutters, but then the full realization of what is happening hits him, and Makoto’s eyes bulge.

“I—Rin, what?” he splutters, flailing a little as he gestures to the rest of the room. “Are you—did you—seriously? Half of the National Team?”

Rin shrugs. “Go big or go home,” he says, lightly, and turns around at the sound of Sousuke’s snicker. “Shut up, Sousuke, I’ll strangle you.”

“You can’t strangle a member of National Team,” Makoto says, because his brain apparently can’t focus on the right thing. Rin has just—Rin has just made half of the National Team, who is supposedly still in their camp in Okinawa, come over to the club where Makoto coaches. “Oh my god.”

“Coach Tachibana is going to faint,” he hears Sakuya not-quite-whispers to her sister, earning snorts from various athletes in the room. Makoto doesn’t even know all of their names, for god’s sake, and—had Rin asked them to come?

“Why,” he says, voice shaky, and Rin looks back at him, this time in concern like he isn’t sure if Makoto really isn’t going to pass out. “Why—Rin, oh my god.”

“Breathe,” Sousuke’s smooth bass comes over, and Makoto turns to see him striding towards them, his steps sure and relaxed. Haruka is only two steps behind him, having pulled himself out of the water. Over at the edge of the pool, Yuugure is calling everyone’s attention back, and their activities continue like Makoto’s presence hasn’t halted all motion previously.

Rin shifts restlessly on his feet. “I thought it’d be a good surprise,” he says quietly, all excitement fading into the usual grumpy mask that he wears when he’s embarrassed. “You were upset about me not being able to come home after the camp, so when the Coach told us we have today and tomorrow off, I thought I’d see you.”

“It just happens that the three of us were discussing your club,” Sousuke continues, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jersey. “Well, mostly Haru and Rin, anyway. They were pretty loud debating what you should do with the relay teams, and well, Mikoshiba-san heard. And you know, he has a way getting everyone else excited, so before we know it, we have half of the team wanting to go to Tokyo and see this little club of yours.”

“Not mine,” Makoto replies automatically, tries not to say 'yeah these kids are mine.' Sousuke hears what he doesn’t say, though, because he’s raising an eyebrow, and Makoto reddens. “I mean, the club—it has its owner, you know—“

“We get permission from the Coach,” Haruka cuts in, because he always knows what is whirling in Makoto’s head even when Makoto hasn’t even pinpoint it yet. “You shouldn’t worry.”

“I. Ah,” and really, he can’t say anything to that. Makoto swallows, turns to Rin, who is avoiding his eyes, and ducks his head, tries to catch Rin’s gaze. “Rin? Rin.”

Rin grumbles. “I didn’t plan to get everyone here, but you sounded so concerned about the kids. I thought you’d appreciate more hands helping, I mean I’m not—“ he gestures vaguely towards the pool. “I’m not too good. With kids.”

“Lies,” both Sousuke and Haruka chorused, and Rin directs a glare at them.

Makoto laughs. He glances up, turns around to make sure no one is paying them any attention, before stepping closer to Rin and reaches out to touch the tips of Rin’s fingers. “Rin,” he says warmly, because it is a nice surprise—more than nice, it’s giving him a pleasant sort of buzz throughout his whole being, that Rin is here, with Haruka and Sousuke and Mikoshiba and a handful other athletes Makoto knows only by names. He smiles, leans forward and bumps his forehead together briefly. “Thank you.”

Rin’s fingers curl around his own for a moment before letting go. “You’re happy?”

“Yes,” Makoto says, his smile widening as the first wave of giddiness—Rin is here, Rin is here, Rin is here—hits him. “I really wanted to see you.”

Rin smirks. “I told you I’d see you.”

Oh, Makoto realizes, and feels rather stupid that he’s only realizes now. “Yeah. You did.”

He pulls away, glances sideways to see both Sousuke and Haruka have positioned themselves so that no one could see Makoto and Rin clearly, and are giving them exasperated looks. He grins sheepishly.

“So,” he says. “Did you guys start coaching my teams, yet?”

**\-----o0o-----**

They begin by having the relay teams racing one another.

Rin’s face is twisted into dissatisfaction at the boys team, and turns critical at the girls. “So much to work on,” he says, eyes calculating, and Makoto silently agrees. “Okay, I guess. They just need to polish up—they’re already great individually, it’s just.” His fore finger taps his right elbow thoughtfully, before crouching down and offering a hand to Youji, who is the last one in the water. “What’s your name?”

“Kuwashima—“ Youji starts, looking dazed that a professional swimmer is offering to help him out of the pool. “Kuwashima Youji, sir.”

Rin grins. “What’s with the ‘sir’, I don’t look that old. C’mon, buddy, up.”

He pulls Youji up and out of the pool, lowers himself to Youji’s height as he ruffles the kid’s hair. “So, Youji, huh? Have you ever seen a proper relay race? One that’s so beautiful it would make you so excited to do relay?”

Youji blinks. “Um. I saw the relay races last year. At the competition.” He considers his answer for a moment, before shaking his head. “I don’t know—I didn’t feel so excited, but—“

“But you want to try doing a relay.”

The kid nods.

Rin grins. “Yeah, that’s cool enough. Let us show you, then.” He straightens up, turns around and yells. “Sousuke, Haru! Get over here, let’s do a relay!” Then he turns to Makoto, still beaming. “You’re swimming backstroke, Makoto, get in the water.”

Makoto blinks. “Huh? Me?”

“Who else,” Haruka says when he reaches them, raising an eyebrow at Makoto. “You’re good in backstroke.”

Sousuke hums in agreement. “I can do breast.”

“Wait,” Makoto says, but Rin is snatching the board in his hands away. “But—Mikoshiba-san is there, and I—I can’t possibly keep up with you three!”

Rin gives him a funny look. “It’s a relay. We’ve done this together before, Makoto.”

Youji gapes at them. “Coach Tachibana did relay with National Team members?!”

Sousuke claps him solidly on the back, offering him a smirk. “Gotta trust yourself more, Tachibana.”

“Come on,” Rin says, grinning in excitement, and like it’s always been, it’s Rin who sets Makoto into motion, it’s Rin who makes Makoto takes the step forward, it’s always been Rin’s words and Rin’s grins, pulling him along. Makoto sometimes wonders if he deserves this, because he’s just a man, so starkly different from these three stars standing next to him, but maybe—maybe this is him, being selfish.

He wants to be selfish, when it comes to this.

Hiragashi catches his gaze when he drops into the water, smiling with her stopwatch in hand, and Makoto gets into position.

He takes a deep breath.

**\-----o0o-----**

The sky is an endless bright blue expanse, and Makoto floats on his back, a contented smile on his face.

He’s missed this. This sight, the one Rin and his friends gives him when he finally conquers the fear lurking in the water. The clear sky, spelling out freedom and future and I swim best free for the team, and Makoto tastes the summer air, tastes the ice cream he’s always shared with Haruka, tastes the first sake he drank with Sousuke, tastes the rich spices that’s grown familiar when he kisses Rin deeply.

He wonders what kind of sight the others would see, this time.

**\-----o0o-----**

Sousuke reaches the edge of the pool with a last powerful stroke, tapping on the wall as he shouts “Rin!” and Rin jumps, taking everyone’s breath with him as he slices into the water and moves.

Something in Makoto’s chest pounds, steadily harder, steadily faster, and for a second he thinks he might be unable to breathe, because Rin is beautiful in the water—strokes certain and gaining more and more speed, each push parting the water effortlessly and closing the distance in mere seconds before he does the turn, and Makoto’s heart sings, thumps in time with something in him that chants come back, come back, come back, come home, quickly—

Rin slices through the last meter like a shark, palm flat against the wall and he barely shouts “Haru!” before Haru flies, arcs above the water and the water, as always, opens up for him obligingly, embracing him completely.

If Rin’s entry had taken everyone’s breath away, Haruka’s narrows their worlds into one single focus that is him, capturing their eyes and their whole being, and this time, Makoto truly forgets how to breathe.

**\-----o0o-----**

There’s no winning or losing in this relay that they do, but for some reason, when he bends down to offer a hand to Haruka, Makoto feels like crying.

“Haru,” he says, voice thick, and Haruka looks up, a small smile on his face, like he understands what is going in Makoto’s head. He probably does. Sousuke and Rin probably see, too—everyone can see, probably, because Makoto is pretty sure his expression looks completely wrecked by the sheer happiness and thrill, and the sight he’d seen—god, he’s missed that sight so much.

“Thanks,” Haruka murmurs when he takes Makoto’s hand and lets Makoto pull him out of the water. He barely has a second to straighten himself as Rin barrels into the two of them, hugging tight, and then Sousuke’s big arms wind around them all.

“That was great,” Rin tells him, face smushed against Makoto’s shoulder. “I’ve missed that.”

“Yeah,” Makoto agrees, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt, and buries his laughter in Rin’s hair. “I’ve missed that, too.”

**\-----o0o-----**

Their little show-off actually gives the expected boost to the kids relay team. The boys have their heads together, slowly going over what they think each of them could improve on. The girls figure out that they like playing it safe when it comes to the exchange, and decide that they just need to be faster in order to cover what time they wasted on the exchange timing. Makoto lets them be, takes the time to coach the kids doing individual entries instead.

He’s helping Sakuya with her dolphin kick when Rin passes him, guiding the youngest kid, Chiaki, trying to float and move forward. Sakuya pauses when the pair pass them, sticking her tongue at Chiaki, earning her an annoyed splash of water that makes her yelp.

“Hey, hey,” Makoto says, the warning tone slipping in automatically. “Don’t do that, Chiaki-kun, what’s the rule about splashing in the pool?”

Chiaki pouts. “But,” he says, glaring at Sakuya, who’s still scrunching her face.

Rin makes a noise at the back of his throat. “She started it,” he points out, gesturing his head at Sakuya. The little girl blinks at him, before splashing back at both Rin and Chiaki, causing another round of indignant yelps.

Makoto is torn between laughing and burying his face in his palms.

“Did not,” she insists, sticking his tongue out. Rin stares at her for a long time, looking like he’s actually considering to splash back, but reaches out to stop Chiaki when he’s about to have his revenge. “Hey, buddy, no splashing. You’ll bug the people in the next line.”

“But,” Chiaki says, sounding disappointed, and Sakuya giggles in victory.

“When in pool,” Rin tells him. “We settle things with a race. It’s a rule.”

“It’s not,” Makoto says helplessly, but he’s laughing, and Rin clearly takes that as a cue to continue. He lets Chiaki go, pats the head covered in swimming cap. “You can’t race now, so you’ve got to practice hard, so that when you can finally swim, you won’t lose to her. Okay?”

Sakuya scowls. “I won’t lose to anyone,” she announces.

“That’s a good challenge,” Rin points at her, grinning. “Rivals since kids, that’s awesome. All that’s left is to work hard, and you both can settle this with a race once you could swim properly. For now, stop fighting and practice hard for the race. Can you guys do that?”

“Yeah!” the two kids chorused. Makoto smiles, looks up at Rin, who grins down at the kids the way he did back when Nitori managed to nearly beat Nagisa.

“It’s a good look on you,” he says softly, when Rin is right next to him. He earns a confused look from his boyfriend, and Makoto hides a smile. “Looking so proud of people like that. It makes you look way happier.”

Rin blinks. Then ducks his head, but not fast enough to hide the shade of red on his cheeks from Makoto. “Shut up.”

Makoto laughs.

**\-----o0o-----**

“She says,” Rin makes a face from where he sits on the starting block, with both Emi and Maaya on his sides, fawning over Haruka swimming another lap down the lane. “That Haru is teaching them how to tame water.”

Makoto stops right behind Rin, hands coming to rest on Rin’s shoulder almost instinctively. “For the relay?”

“To be free!” Maaya tells him with a bright grin, before sighing dreamily and continues, “Nanase-san is so beautiful in the water.”

“He’s going to break children’s hearts,” Rin whispers conspiratorially to Makoto. “I’m telling Sousuke.”

Makoto glances towards the bench, when several other little girls—and boys—are hanging off Sousuke’s limbs with clear admiration in their eyes. “I think Sousuke’s doing exactly the same thing.”

Rin makes an indignant sound. “Unbelievable. Unacceptable.”

Makoto smothers his grin into Rin’s damp hair, thankful that the children are completely taken over by Haruka that he could indulge himself like this.

**\-----o0o-----**

“Coach Tachibana is so great, Matsuoka-senshu!”

“Yeah, yeah, he didn’t get mad at us when we accidentally turned his hair pink.”

“Oh, that was my failed prank. It wasn’t hard to wash it off, though, but I was so scared, I thought Coach Tachibana was going to be so mad at me.”

“And he always smiles, and he never says anything rude—“

“And he never pulls on my hair like Coach Yuugure does.”

“Hmm,” Rin says, nodding, tone thoughtful. For some reason, several children have chosen to flock up to him and Haruka as they take a break, and Rin’s using them to gather information about Makoto and his daily life when he’s working in the club. “He’s cool, huh.”

“He’s the best Coach,” the kids chorus. And then Shouko adds, mournfully, “But he has a girlfriend.”

Haruka discreetly coughs into his Pocari. Rin raises an eyebrow, subtly elbowing Haruka’s knee. “He does?”

“That’s what the other Coaches are saying. They say that none of us could marry Coach Tachibana because he’s already seeing someone—“

“Oh, and Coach Tachibana once told me that he does love his girlfriend very, very much!” Takuma bounces on his seat. “Sometimes I talk to Coach Tachibana, about boy things, you know, and he’d tell me things about his girlfriend. He said that she’s like the sun, she’s really bright and awesome and warm, and he loves her very, very much.” He pauses, considering his words, before nodding to himself. “Yep, that’s what he said. Oh, he told me that she’s a star, too. She’s famous, and she cooks really tasty meat!”

Haruka snorts. Rin stares at Takuma, desperately trying to decide whether he should kill Makoto for referring to him as ‘his girlfriend’, or if he should stop fighting the blush threatening to take over his face. Instead, he settles on: “Ha, you children. I know who Makoto’s girlfriend is.”

Five pairs of different eyes widen at him. “You do, Matsuoka-senshu?”

Rin fishes out his phone, slides his thumb across and opens his picture folder, browsing it until he finds the particular picture, before breaking into a grin and thrusts his phone to the kids. “Here,” he says proudly.

On his phone screen is a photo of Makoto’s beloved white cat back in Iwatobi.

**\-----o0o-----**

“Coach Tachibana,” Shouko calls out before she dives into the water. “If I’m a cat, can I be your bride someday?”

Makoto splutters. “What?!”

Rin pats him on the shoulder. “Don’t break children’s hearts, Makoto.”

**\-----o0o-----**

The boys relay team improves their time drastically. The girls are faster by a mere second, but their exchange is so much smoother now, and Makoto watches over their excited faces with some sort of relief.

“They’re having fun,” Yuugure notes, looking amazed. He punches Makoto gently on the shoulder. “It’s been a while since I see them so happy when swimming. Thank god your boyfriend is a member of the National Team.”

Makoto chuckles. “Yeah,” he says amicably, then freezes and backtracks. “Wait, what?”

Yuugure laughs. “Try to be less obvious about it, Tachibana-kun. You and Matsuoka-kun are so all over each other, it’s hard not to notice. Even some of the children are asking.”

Makoto stares at him in horror. “They are?”

“Nah, I was kidding,” Yuugure grins. “So my guess is true? Matsuoka-kun is the so-called secret lover?”

Makoto groans.

**\-----o0o-----**

The practice ends far too soon for Makoto’s liking. The National Team members are already scattered by the time he sends the kids to the locker room—some of them are hefting their bags, clearly set on going somewhere after this. Some of them are still in the pool, deciding to mess around as Haruka floats by with no care in the world.

Rin jostles his side. “So,” he says, grinning up to Makoto. “Dinner?”

“Are you feeling up to cooking, or should I call Zaki-chan?” Makoto smiles.

Rin makes a face. “Nah, don’t call Yazaki-san. I mean, let’s just—eat out or something? I.” Rin ducks his head, eyes sliding sideways to where Sousuke is crouching on the edge of the pool, trying to coax Haruka out of the water. “I was thinking that we should. I don’t know. Spend the night—just the two of us?”

“Sounds good,” Makoto tries to ignore the thump-thump-thump in his chest picking up. They’re not a new couple, they should be past the stage of being shy and feeling lightheaded whenever one of them asked the other for a date. “I mean, it’s your day off and I—don’t have anything after this, either, so it’s a good idea.”

Rin turns to him, a hopeful smile curving on his lips. “Yeah?”

Makoto swallows. “Yeah,” he replies, and the word comes out too much like a whisper. He clears his throat as Rin’s gaze turns amused. “Uh. There’s this—new restaurant, close to my campus. It’s pretty neat, and the dishes have a lot of spices. I think you’d like it, Rin.”

“Mmm. You sure you don’t wanna go somewhere else?”

“It has this really famous chocolate cake that I really like,” Makoto adds. Rin laughs, the sound filling Makoto’s ears like the notes of a distant song, like the sounds of the waves kissing the shore. The tips of their fingers touch, a discreet gesture of fondness, and then their arms brush.

“I’d like that,” Rin says quietly, his smile content.

**\-----o0o-----**

The restaurant is two stations on the opposite side of Makoto’s campus, and they have to take a different line from the swimming club. It’s a great place, though—it’s a more of a cozy café than a family restaurant, serving unique dishes from all over Asia, and the place quickly becomes a favorite of Rin’s as well. They take a table outside, under one of the acacia trees with tiny lights stringing above their heads, with other tables around them taken either by couples or simply friends hanging out.

“Thank you, Rin,” Makoto tells Rin when they’ve finished eating, stomachs full and they’re both too warm to care about how their legs are tangled under the table. “For coming today. It’s—it was a really nice surprise.”

Rin grins, but it quickly tampers down to a small smile. “Yazaki-san said you’d been distracted,” he tells Makoto. “Since the other day when I told you I can’t come home after the camp.”

Makoto pauses. “Ah.”

Rin swirls the small glass of coke in his hand, watching the ice cubes clink neatly against each other. “You were really upset, weren’t you.”

“It’s stupid,” Makoto smiles, but it’s crooked and it doesn’t feel right. He plays with the edge of his napkin. “I know I shouldn’t feel like that—we’ve been doing this for years, after all, but somehow—“

He trails off, and Rin doesn’t say anything either. The silence feels different this time—a thoughtful one; telling him that Rin is thinking, Rin is considering things, and it scares Makoto a little. He’s always been a coward; Rin thinking means Rin is planning to move, and he’s never been sure what he should expect out of that. “Rin…?”

Rin takes a breath, puts down his glass and leans forward.

“Makoto,” he says seriously. “If you—if there’s ever a time when you feel that it’s okay that I don’t come home—I think I dread that.”

Makoto’s breath catches in his throat.

“No,” he says, almost frantic. “No, Rin, that’s not what I mean. You know that’s not—I’d always want to meet you. You know that.”

The corners of Rin’s lips twitch up. “But not enough to be selfish and demand me to be here.”

“That’s not fair,” Makoto says, voice weak and helpless. “I want you here. You know I do. If it were up to me, I’d keep you here with me forever. But you’re—you’re Rin, okay, and I just can’t—“ he breaks off, throat tightening and refusing to make way for the words. “I can’t—“

Rin waits. He waits, legs still tangled with Makoto, still leaning slightly forward on the table, and god, Makoto has always wanted all of Rin’s attention like this, where Rin is solely his and his alone.

But it’s Rin. Rin, who’s brighter than anyone else, who blazes his way into people’s lives and drives them forward, who pulls people along with him with his grins, who is born to be a catalyst, who is literally a star. And what an exhausting existence being a star is—Makoto hates thinking that there would be a time when a star would exhaust all of its energy lighting up the world, and simply blinks out dead.

He can’t demand such an existence for his own, when the star is born for the world to watch.

“I can’t have you for myself,” he murmurs, unable to find the right words, letting them tumble off his lips and tongue like he’s only just learnt sentence structures. “I can’t—you’re so brilliant, Rin, you’re born for the whole world to see. I’m just—I’m just a man, I’m—ordinary. I can’t just demand, I’ve got not right—and you’d be so tired, you’ve never stopped running, I just—I can’t do it. Not when you’re already so tired.”

He keeps his mouth open, like he still has things to say, but the words elude him. He stares at Rin in confusion instead, wishing he could read Rin as easily as he could Haruka, wishing he could understand Rin the way Sousuke could. Rin, with undying flames lurking withing his eyes, blazing the same color as his hair, and determined sets of jaws and shoulders. He wishes it was so easy to decipher the way those flames dance, the way those shoulders straighten.

Then Rin says, “You’re right,” quietly, so very quietly, and Makoto’s chest freezes.

Rin sighs. “You’re right,” he murmurs, eyes never leaving Makoto’s. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m exhausted, endlessly chasing after a childish dream. Maybe I can’t just stop and give everything to you—I have other important people, too. Gou, my Mom, Sousuke, Haru. Nagisa, Rei. Ai. Hell, even Mikoshiba-san and Momo.” He pauses, and then reaches out to touch Makoto’s knuckles. “But there’s this part of me that I want you to have, Makoto.”

Makoto swallows. Shakes. “I—“

“This one part,” Rin repeats. “That I’m offering to you. Only you. I’d like you to have it, I want you to be selfish about it. Because it makes me happy, too, when you’re being a little selfish, with me. Reminds me that this is where I belong. That I have you—that I still have you, despite our distance.”

“You’ll always have me, Rin,” Makoto whispers.

Rin grins. “I know,” he covers Makoto’s hand, eyes closing as he squeezes Makoto’s fingers. “That’s why I want you to have me, too. The same way you gave a piece of yourself, to me. Because it makes me happy.”

And really, what can he say to that?

Makoto twists his hand, laces their fingers together. He’d probably feel guilty when he sees Rin and recognizes the tired lines marring Rin’s face. He’d always feel guilty, even if he knows that he’s the one putting those carefree grins on Rin’s face as well, that he’s the one filling Rin’s eyes with heat—one that he never shares with any other.

“Is it okay,” he says, throat tight, “That you drop by on September and come home?”

Rin shrugs, white sharp teeth flashing in both confidence and happiness so obvious it hurts a little to see.

“That’s what I was planning to do, anyway.”

**\-----o0o-----**

Tokyo night rush sweep them into the train easily, and Makoto checks his wristwatch before relaxing. Rin is trapped between him and the corner of the train, back pressing against the window, looking like he could fall asleep any time. Makoto brushes away the stray bangs falling over Rin’s eyes, smiling softly at the tired lines on between them.

“Don’t be creepy, Tachibana,” Rin says, half-teasing and half-riddled by sleep. The corner of Makoto’s mouth twitches up, and he shifts to make sure he’s not going to squish Rin. They have a long ride home; Haruka and Sousuke are probably settled in their own apartment already. He’d have to text Aki later, thank her or something, probably.

Rin flicks the tip of his nose. “Stop thinking so hard.” He yawns. And because Makoto can’t resist—no one pays attention when the train is too full anyway—he bends down and pecks the corner of Rin’s lips, earning himself an indignant, soft yelp. “Makoto!”

“It’s fine,” Makoto shrugs. Rin glares at him, but there’s a faint red spreading across his cheeks, so Makoto counts it as a win. “You said you’d be happy if I get a little selfish from time to time.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “This is not what I meant, and you know that,”he accuses, but his hand moves to take Makoto’s into his own, threading their fingers together before shoving them into the pocket of his jacket. It’s too warm—it’s almost summer after all, and the train is packed full it feels somewhat stifling, but Makoto is fine with it. He grins, ducks his head and presses his forehead against Rin’s comfortably.

“Sap,” Rin teases, eyes closing almost automatically when Makoto’s breath falls on his nose.

“You’re not one to talk,” Makoto chuckles, presses their foreheads harder and tightens his hold on Rin’s hand before closing the last gap between their lips—their first kiss since months ago, both familiar and unfamiliar, and Rin tastes of chocolate and something spicy as he grins against Makoto’s mouth, bright and blinding like the star. This is one part of Rin that is all his, Makoto thinks. He kisses Rin again, sweet like the chocolate cake he’d eaten earlier, and Rin sighs contentedly.

The speaker above them blares announcing “Shibuya, Shibuya,” and Tokyo moves as time bridges the gaps created by distance.

**\-----o0oENDo0o-----**

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Makoto's Birthday, Halcyon!


End file.
